Goods in transportation, and in storage, are variously referred to by the terms cargo and freight, among others. These terms are used interchangeably in this application. The transportation of freight is accomplished using assorted vehicles including, for example, airplanes, ships, railroad cars, and automobiles of various configurations such as, for example, tractor trailers, cargo vans and pickup trucks. In addition, it is known to transport freight in shipping containers that are adapted to be carried by any of the above-listed modes of transportation, as well as others, and to be moved between vehicles using cranes, jacks, and specialized lifting equipment. Because of the accelerations experienced within a moving vehicle or shipping container there is a tendency for freight to shift position over time, relative to surrounding walls. Indeed, even externally induced vibrations can cause such shifting within a stationary vehicle or storage facility. Accordingly, various means are employed to stabilize and retain freight in position relative to its immediate surroundings.
In this context, it is known use cargo bars to stabilize freight. Such cargo bars are generally adapted to be coupled to the walls of a freight storage compartment, such as a vehicle compartment, and to have bearing surfaces adapted to impinge on the freight and hold it in position. One means of coupling a cargo bar to the walls of a freight storage compartment is to expand the bar, so as to place it in compression and allow friction between ends of the bar and respective regions of the surrounding walls to prevent motion of the bar and consequently prevent motion of the restraint freight. It has been suggested that screws, rack and pinion devices, hydraulic devices, and ratcheting devices are adaptable to placing a cargo bar in compression. Ratcheting devices are presented, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 923,463, to Taylor, which shows a Car Brace including a plurality of ratchet pawls, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,565, to Kersey, which shows an Extensible Telescoping Cargo Brace employing a vehicle ratchet-type bumper jack. An exemplary bumper jack is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,820 to Martin. Rack and pinion devices are presented, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,576 to Fredelius and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,669,934 and 4,781,499 to Wisecarver.
It is clear that the problem of retaining shifting freight has thus been addressed by many inventors, doubtless some of great creativity, over a long period of time. Indeed the Taylor patent was filed over a hundred years before the present date. Despite the long-felt need for effective cargo bracing, illustrated by these many efforts, and the creativity applied by many inventors seeking to address these needs, none until now none has appreciated the problem of freight retention in the way that the present inventors have done, nor evidenced such appreciation by creating the novel and surprisingly useful methods and apparatus of the present invention. In the face of this long-felt need, the present inventor has now perceived new aspects of, and solved, the problem of providing an effective cargo brace and release device.